27 Wednesday Jul 2011
Posted in The Family, The Travels, vegan
1. Making sacrifices to the ocean gods.
2. Losing track of time.
3. Having lots of extra playmates.
4. Seashell shops.
5. Date nights with fancy schmancy vegan meals.
6. Impromtu puppet shows…
7. Spying with spyglasses
8. Group wagon rides.
9. Baby Snuggles
10. Staying up past bedtime for bonfires.
11. And a perfect view of everyone enjoying a perfect view.
Okay, okay, so I have 11. :p
21 Thursday Jul 2011
We went to My Vegan Restaurant in Pasadena the other day (the food was delicious, you should try it)! Little T made us laugh, because every time the waitress would bring out a new plate of food, his eyes would get SO wide. (i.e.—> 0_0) He was in awe of this amazing place where new and delicious food is brought to the table every few minutes by a fun woman who likes to make cute faces and play with him.
He was soooo happy…until we had to leave. Then his face turned from this —> 0_0, to this —–> 😡
18 Monday Jul 2011
Posted in The Family, vegan
I’ve been trying to think of meals that Little T can eat on his own with his chubby little fingers. I remembered one of my favorite recipes from my time at the Dr. McDougall 10 Day Health Clinic. It changed my life when I went there because of health problems in 2003. One of the great things about the clinic were the buffets of food they’d have out for each meal. You could pick whatever you wanted to eat and find things you liked so you could make it at home. They also had the names and recipes for all the food. It doesn’t get any easier than that, folks!
When I was thinking of finger food for Little T, I thought of their banana french toast. It’s so easy to make and I knew he’d love it. You can find this recipe in the McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook. You may also be able to find it on their website if you search the newsletter section.
Vegan Banana French Toast by Mary McDougall
We made this for Little T last night to try it out. We had to make extra because the adults kept sneaking bites. :p He gave a happy little foot kick after each bite and ate two pieces of the french toast. I think it’s a winner.
17 Sunday Jul 2011
Posted in vegan
Lime and Cilantro Rice
This is an easy meal for when I want something with a lot of flavor and don’t have enough time to cook a big meal. It surprises me because friends request this rice. Sometimes the simplest things make the best meals, I guess. When I don’t have green onions, I use yellow onion. I also don’t always have cilantro on hand, so then it just becomes Quick and Easy Lime Rice. It’s still good, and I’m sure you’ll find lost of ways to modify this recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice (if I’m in a pinch, I use a bag of frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s).
1 squeezed lime (add more or less to taste)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro *not pictured 😉
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 clove finely chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
Half an avocado
3 chopped artichoke hearts
a pinch of red pepper flakes
Directions:
Squeeze the lime into the rice. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
11 Monday Jul 2011
Posted in vegan
White Bean and Couscous Soup
Little T loved this soup that my step-dad made. The recipe was given to them from a friend:
4 chopped leek bulbs
2 cloves chopped garlic
16 ounces of veggie broth
16 ounces of cannellini beans
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon curry
1/2 cup couscous
2 cups spinach
salt and pepper
Saute the leeks and garlic until tender in a soup pot. Stir in the broth, beans, bay leaves and cumin. Bring to a boil and reduce to low heat. Stir in the couscous, then cover and simmer for 5 monutes. Stir in the spinach at the end and season with salt and pepper.
09 Saturday Jul 2011
Posted in The Family, vegan
Eating on his own...
Today we had quinoa made in water that was boiled with ginger. It had curry, lentils, and broccoli bits in it. We were working on using the spoon, but he definitely hasn’t mastered that skill yet. He ate half of that bowl. I can’t believe how much this kid eats!
How to make:
Slice up some ginger and boil it in water. Add the quinoa and cook. Once the quinoa is done, add lime, steamed lentils (I use the Trader Joe Lentils), and steamed diced broccoli.
08 Friday Jul 2011
Posted in vegan
Jill's Potato Salad
I can’t say enough good things about the recipes I get from The Veggie Queen. Everything I’ve tried has been delicious. Every. Single. Thing. She also kind of taught me how to cook, or at least inspired me to get cooking. I’d have been too scared to try a pressure cooker, but I believe anything this woman says and she said that pressure cookers were the best thing since sliced daiya cheese…so I believed her. Now I use the pressure cooker all the time. Here’s one of my favorite recipes from her book, it’s a potato salad and it’s all sorts of awesome.
06 Wednesday Jul 2011
Carrot and Potato Soup
This is one of Little T’s favorites. We make a big batch of it and eat it throughout the week.
Ingredients:
Two bags of Carrots
Small Potatoes (we use about 1 potato for every 3 carrots)
2 cloves garlic
1 chopped yellow onion
vegetable broth
cumin to taste
curry to taste
lime
salt and pepper to taste
First we put a bit of olive oil in the cooking pot and brown the onions and garlic. Once they’re finished, we add potatoes, carrots and spices and mix them together to get the spices to meld. Then we add the vegetable broth and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are soft (about 30-40 minutes).
Little T can probably eat it without being blended, but we like the consistency when it’s blended. We used a hand mixer to blend, and then added the lime. Taste the soup to see if you need to add more spices.
05 Tuesday Jul 2011
Posted in vegan
ohdeardrea is doing a vegan giveaway. The winner gets a whole line of Mild By Nature products. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to try out these gentle soaps and hair products on Little T.
04 Monday Jul 2011
Posted in vegan
mmmmmm, watermelon
…than diced watermelon on a hot day.
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